Are Warty Newts territorial?

I have two, they get along fine-I dont know how to sex them.... do they fight? Is it possible they will become aggresive towards one another?

Mine are fine with each other until food is introduced. Then they go berserk biting each others' limbs and tails.

oh my goodness! Mine havent done anything like that yet, though I only got them a couple weeks ago. One stays in the water and one usually hangs out on the filter. I'm thinking maybe that means one is dominant.

Personally, i've found that P.Hongkongensis and P.Fuzhongensis are fine in groups of two or three females with one male....but add another male and they get very aggressive.
I've also noticed that often, these freshly imported Paramesotriton don't show aggression, but i think thats because of the stress they're under from being manhandled during their capture/shipping etc. As soon as they return to full health and get over their stress they, (the males),seem to then focus of territory and fighting.

sometimes its not direct agression. one problem i have a lot is the alpa-ist (new word-i know) male will just out bully the other so much that they stop eating as well and will often drop weight and hide a lot.

I entirely agree with Paris & Any, it are certainly the males which are the most aggressive and this doesn't always need to end in a fight. As u rule I do not setoff more then 1 male in a little tank (60 by 40 cm) . In larger tanks I would dare to set more males but in any case I make sure that there are multiple hide-outs . In troducing of many plants so that it is difficult to get in eye contact also helps . I normally wokr with either Saggitaria or Valisneria in my tanks . Paramesotriton prefer the dark crevices under overhanging stones just beneath the water surface and if possible those openings that are closed / darnk in from 3 sides. In this way they will postion their head towards the opening and be sure they can not be attacked from the sides or the back. Having a 'roof abve their heads' also gives them the phsychological assurance they can ont be attacked from above ... the counterside of this you don't tend to see them to often ;-((
Among the species territoriality can change. In P. laoensis I have not seen much aggression, also in caudopunctatus it's not that high. For P. hongkongensis it is present , but so far P. chinensis has proven to be the most aggressive . For deloustali I can ont tell, since I kow they are and I would not risk setting 2 males in one tank however large it is. They are to seldomn to even try this out and considering the size of the animals it would need to be a too large tank too. But anyway this is just from my experiences with my setups

So the short answer to the question is yes !

henk_wallays said:

...Among the species territoriality can change. In P. laoensis I have not seen much aggression, also in caudopunctatus it's not that high. ....

For deloustali I can ont tell, since I kow they are and I would not risk setting 2 males in one tank however large it is. They are to seldomn to even try this out and considering the size of the animals it would need to be a too large tank too....

Click to expand...

I agree with Henk!
I never saw aggression between my laoensis. But it is a pair!
But very much aggression from the deloustali male - even to the females!


Paul

i just had new imports in a new set up engage in female/female agression like in the photo above. (p chinensis) they are working out their territory issues, but i am used to this happening after they settle in....

At a pet store near me, they have p. chinesis, and some have a messed up lip. One stays out the water, and when I was there one time, the bullied newt went in the water and was chased back on land by a larger male

I have 2 P.Hongkongensis and they get along fine. I believe they are both males, but they sit together in the plants and come down for food together, I have not seen any aggression between them, they have been together for about 3-4 years now.

In my experience, most species show aggression to some extent, and it can kick in after quite some time of peaceful coexistance. If one of your animals stays out of the water, it is not a great sign and could indicate bullying. It is a good idea to try creating a separate setup for it. Once these animals go into decline due to being dominated by another animal, it can be extremely difficult to get them back to full health, and they often remain much more shy and reclusive than before the aggression started.

Chris

I have two males in a 20 gallon tall tank with lots of islands and visual barriers. At first they faught a little but mostly when food was introduced. It's been about 2 years now and they are both healthy and strong and seem well adjusted to one another. They each have their own end of the tank or "territory," but often venture around the entire tank with no problems. It may just be a matter of how comfortable your newts are. Reduced stress enviroments would probably help quell aggression.

Hello.

In my exemplars of Paramesotriton chinensis, thera are one male very agressive, more months, at actually ( 2 year later) this individual aren't agressive, and territorial.
In my initial trio of P.Fuzghonensis (actually pair...) i never see any agressive signs....

Bye

I'm going to go ahead and say that these guys are pretty aggressive.

I've had two together in a 45-50 gallon tank for about 5 months, then had to move the smaller to a quarantine because of an infection it acquired after being bitten by the other.

After it's healed, which it is doing at a pretty good rate, I'm going to remove both from the big tank. Do a 1/2 water change and re-arrange the tank so that it's divided by the current from the power-head. Then have "mountains" of hides on either side of the tank. Re-introduce both and hope they get along and choose territory across from each other. If not, I'm thinking of purchasing two 20 gallons to house a newt each so I can use my 50 gallon for a Uromastyx.